Russian Populism Essay

I shall now attempt to apply the theory delineated above to analyze the political terrorism of the Russian Populist movement in the 1870s. Despite the abolishment of serfdom in 1861 and the Great Reform launched together, the Russian Empire was still in essence an autocratic regime ruled by absolutism and patrimonialism, where all power of the state belonged to the tsar. The authority of the tsar derived directly from the divine source of Russian Orthodox and his supreme power was institutionalized into numerous hierarchical traditions—the Tsardom is the epitome of hierarchical legitimation. The hierarchical value systems underlying the sanctity of such traditions were internalized by the subjects of the tsar's ruling; the tsar was viewed both as a intermediary between the divine and the worldly with inviolable power, and a
Their endorsement of individual freedom, the autonomy of conscience and the notion of due procedure put them in direct confrontation with the hierarchical mode of legitimation that had served the tsar well for centuries. Their egalitarian value system could not be more at odds with the theory of absolute monarchy and the image of an all-powerful, patriarchal tsar. Consequently, they attempted to initiate social changes with the ultimate aim of transforming Russia from an autocratic, patrimonial regime ruled by an absolute monarchy into a more liberal society, where the governing authority would derive its power from the people and be responsible to them, and individual rights and freedom would be protected by the rule of law. In this process, the intelligentsia believed that they would have a better chance against the state if the rural mass were on their side. The peasant had great revolutionary potential, the intelligentsia reasoned, as they had been oppressed most severely by the state even after their